Staff Reporter :
Students of Dhaka University (DU) have withdrawn their blockade from the city’s Shahbagh intersection in protest against attacks and fires at various temples and Hindu houses in different parts of the country.
The agitating students lifted the blockade after four and a half hours with an ultimatum of 24-hour to implement their seven-point demand.
The blockade created an acute traffic jams on various roads in the city, causing intolerable sufferings for the city dwellers.
Earlier, a section of Dhaka University students started the protest by blocking the road at Shahbagh intersection from 10:30 am on Monday. Some teachers also expressed solidarity with the students.
The students made the seven-point demand to the government from the programme.
They include: immediate renovation of temples under attack, compensation for looting of homes and businesses, permanent compensation to families of victims of rape and murder, and punishment of guilty persons, Formation of Minority Ministries and Commissions, Modernization of Hindu Welfare Trust upgrading to Foundation and allocating 15 per cent of GDP to the minority community in the national budget.
The programme ended with a speech by Jayjit Dutta, a student of Jagannath Hall and organizing secretary of Chhatra League of the hall.
At that time, he said, “I would like to draw the attention of the Home Minister of taking appropriate action on our demands within 24 hours.
If the demand is not met within 24 hours and any such incident of vandalism or violence takes place anywhere in the country, we will take immediate action.
We are ending our protest programme for the time being to remove the sufferings of the people, he said.
ISKCON Bangladesh has expressed its solidarity with the agitating students and a memorandum has also been sent to the Prime Minister. So, we are optimistic about fulfilment of our demands.
Earlier in the morning, Mihir Lal Saha, Provost of Jagannath Hall, Dhaka University, Asim Kumar Sarkar, former Provost and Govinda Chandra Mandal, Professor of Law, spoke in solidarity.
ISKCON Bangladesh joined the students in solidarity with the programme at around 12 noon. Shripad Charu Chandra Das Brahmachari, General Secretary of the organization spoke on the protest.
In their speeches, they all demanded the government to find exemplary punishment for those involved in the violence.
